Winner of Sorrow
by kavvda
Summary: Class 3-C of Kobe Junior High School, Hyoga Prefecture, has been chosen for 1995's Battle Royale Program. This is the untold story of Shogo Kawada's first program and the horrors he and his classmates endured until their last breaths.
1. Student List

**STUDENT LIST**

1\. Tsuyoshi Ueno 1. Kasumi Aoyama

2\. Manabu Uchida 2. Hotaru Abe

3\. Yuji Umemoto 3. Rin Ikeguchi

4\. Jun Otani 4. Tomomi Inoue

5\. Daichi Ono 5. Natsumi Ito

6\. Shogo Kawada 6. Tsubaki Endo

7\. Hayato Kishimoto 7. Keiko Onuki

8\. Kiyoshi Kita 8. Miu Ogata

9\. Mamoru Koga 9. Aiko Kawano

10\. Tomio Sugihara 10. Ayaka Saeki

11\. Akihiko Chinjimatsu 11. Ko Tanimoto

12\. Yasuhiro Tanaka 12. Yuuki Tameshiro

13\. Hitoshi Nakata 13. Chinatsu Nakanishi

14\. Takashi Nakano 14. Yumei Hirose

15\. Ryota Hashimoto 15. Emi Hidaka

16\. Tatsuya Fuyukichi 16. Nana Fukui

17\. Aoi Murakami 17. Saya Fujioka

18\. Kazuki Murata. 18. Chiyoko Fujioka

19\. Satoshi Goto 19. Hanako Matsumoto

20\. Takumi Yamada 20. Itsuko Miya

21\. Shiro Yoshida 21. Hisoka Yamamoto


	2. Chapter 0

The bus shook the students inside, trucking down a bumpy road that didn't phase most of them. Their conversations were too important, small games too important. Their laughter and words filled the air until it nearly collapsed on itself. Shogo Kawada (Male Student #5, class 3-C of Kobe Junior High School) knew it would consume him any second. The entire bus ride he sat beside his girlfriend, Keiko Onuki (Female Student #7). It was the spring of 1996 and things couldn't have gone better. However, there were better things than being crammed in a crappy school bus with 41 other kids. The idea of going on a study trip like this seemed sort of...odd to Shogo, but then again he wasn't exactly a model student.

Keiko sat so close that he smelled her shampoo, something that he assumed could only be vanilla. Her long, dark brown hair cascaded down the front of her shoulders, covering the collar of her uniform. Her delicate, small hands moved as she talked behind strawberry colored lips. She had her back turned to him, busy having a conversation with her best friend, Miu Ogata (Female Student #8), a cheery, preppy girl. Often, she toyed with the dyed hair that touched her shoulders. She was surprisingly pretty and looked like a westerner. It was rare she wasn't smiling or making Keiko smile. In a way, he almost felt jealous.

Shogo lifted his head to scan over the rest of his classmates. Several seats in front of him, two black-haired heads shook gently with the bus, their owners quietly, and closely talking to each other. The head with pigtails ducked against the seat. Though they were identical twins, Saya Fujioka (Female Student #17) and her sister, Chiyoko, (Female Student #18) were so different that it surprised most that Chiyoko kept her sister trailing along with her. Considered pretty and popular with the boys, Chiyoko had no problem making friends, one of which, Jun Otani (Male Student #4), the class joker, sat across from her. His voice and unique laugh carried in the small space causing Shogo to cringe every once in a while.

"I know, he's so loud, isn't he?" The voice behind him, soft but loud enough to hear. Shogo turned his head. Peeking through the small crack between the seat and the window was a boy Shogo considered one of his only friends. Manabu Uchida (Male Student #2) was always too nice for his own good, too good to other people even if Shogo thought they treated him badly. That smile always appeared, as weak as it was, and told him, "It's no big deal." _Like hell it isn't_.

"Go back to sleep, Manabu." An airy sigh released itself from behind him, brushing against Shogo's ear.

"I would, but it's weird with Nakano asleep on me..." Manabu's wide eyes gestured over to Takashi Nakano (Male Student #14). At first it was hard to tell with his average features and strange sleeping position, but the birthmarks that speckled his neck and face easily gave him away. Shogo turned his large frame in his seat, finally anxious to get a word in. His hand left Keiko's small one, earning him a curious stare before a smile.

When he turned, he saw the rest of his class clamoring. Ikeguchi Rin (Female Student #3) constantly adjusted the Bobby pins in her bobbed hair while talking to Kasumi Aoyama (Female Student #1), the pretty class representative that never seemed to cut her wavy long hair. Contributing to whatever conversation they were having, Ko Tanimoto (Female Student #11) leaned her slender body over the petite Ayaka Saeki (Female Student #10), the star of the swimming club. The third girl, Hanako Matsumoto (female Student #19), crammed in the seat braided Ko's long hair. They could only be described, to Shogo, as the group of preppy, likeable girls that got along well with everyone.

Behind them appeared the annoyed group of, well, bullies. Nana Fukui (Female Student #16) scrunched up her plump lips into an obvious frown. She clasped her hands beneath her round face, long fingers occasionally twirling the blond hair she often pulled back with a thick headband on her finger. Across from her sat Hotaru Abe (Female Student #2), an average looking girl with too much makeup tugged at her crudely cut short hair with what could only be described as a poor dye and highlight job. Though it wasn't like Shogo knew much of a difference. In the seat next to Nana sat a boy with wire rimmed glasses and eyebrows that made him look forever angry. There wasn't a doubt that he was anyway. Self-described as a jerk, Kazuki Murata (Male Student #18), was a volunteering member of the bullies. Though he did well in school, he got pleasure in making others like the timid Yuji Umemoto (Male Student #3) squirm with discomfort from his pranks and loud insults. After Yuji quit the soccer team, Kazuki relentlessly teased him for being too ugly and chubby to play soccer. Shogo would have defended the poor kid if he actually cared enough. Luckily, the other students did that for him.

Shogo met eyes with Tomio Sugihara (Male Student #10), a surprising member of the delinquents with his pop star looks and kind demeanor, before the bus shook rather violently. A few of the girls including Aiko Kawano (Female Student #9), a sweet, outgoing girl and her fashionable, model-esque friend Yuuki Tameshiro (Female Student #12) who screamed out of amusement more than shock.

The bus grew gradually quiet after the jerky movements decreased. The girls and boys whispered to each other, noticing their friends starting to fall asleep. Shogo checked behind him, amused at the sight of Manabu slumped over against the window at long last asleep. It was late after all. It didn't surprise Shogo that his girlfriend drifted to sleep beside him, though he barely noticed her small form leaning against his shoulder. He raised his left wrist carefully to check the time on his watch. 10:02pm. A collective amount of voices ceased a few minutes later and eventually Shogo found himself strating to drift. Feeling too weak to lift his wrist again, he leaned back against his seat, eyes half closed. Unable to know how much time passed bothered him tremendously, so he rolled his head against the window to gaze outside. The bus no longer glided down the highway, instead going off-road. Small groups of soldiers watched the vehicle pass them by.

Sleep was the last thing on his mind.


	3. Chapter 1

The air held no scent, no color from the gas administered through the vents of the bus. Of course they couldn't make it obvious. The shock on each student's face needed that genuine, frightened appearance. They got off on it. That's at least the way Shogo thought about it. Whatever the gas was, it made Shogo feel lethargic and slow. Nitrous oxide? Desflurane? _You should know this, you're a doctor's son_.

His dark brown eyes scanned over the sleeping classmates within his view. Reluctantly, he shook Keiko to wake her, tell her what horrible fate awaited them. Or maybe he shouldn't tell her. He didn't want to scare her, but... _If you get called after me, I'll wait for you_. A promise he made in that moment, one of very few he ever swore upon. She groaned softly, shifting in her spot next to him. Caught up on his failed attempt, Shogo stood in his crammed seat, inspecting the window next to his head. If he could get anyone awake, maybe his only other friend, Tsuyoshi Ueno (Male Student #1) who was the tallest boy in their class, could help him resist. Then whoever else woke up would be able to help out, too. They could take some of the soldiers outside on if they came in. The guns. They needed to get some guns. But, first, they needed oxygen. Upon further inspection of the window, he found a small crack; however, the window couldn't be opened. The manufacturers or whoever glued them shut, maybe bolted them, too. Though the small sliver of air he got must have been a fluke. Probably a small detail they overlooked on the old bus, most likely used to transport other classes years before them.

He got lucky, that was all. Lucky.

As he gave up on the window, he sunk back into his seat, his head buried in his hands. What a fucked up world they lived in.

Footsteps against metal steps made their way into the bus, one set heavier than the other. Head bowed, feigning sleep, Shogo did his best to see just who the bastards were that sent them there. A woman in a dark blue skirt and jacket examined the seats. She looked young, no older than what he assumed was fresh-out-of-college. The bus driver clamored in behind her, anxious to know if his job was suitable enough.

"Looks like they're all out. Shall we have them bring them out now?" She spun around on her heels, heading out of the bus once again to call over the soldiers waiting outside. Shit, they had to have seen him getting up. Or maybe not. Maybe he got lucky again.

More footsteps gathered onto the bus and immediately pulled students from their seats. From where Shogo sat he saw a girl in front lifted up and tossed over a shoulder. It was Natsumi Ito (#5), one of the quieter girls in class. The glasses on her heart-shaped face were askew, tangled in her short black hair.

The closer and closer the soldiers got to his seat, the more sweat kissed Shogo's brow.

_ Damn, damn, damn._

Once the warmth of Keiko left, a sensation that he barely noticed, things came to a halt. One of the men sighed heavily. "Fuck. This kid looks like hell be heavy. Someone help me out here." Another set of boots approached the seat. With a heave, they succeeded in lifting Shogo up. His chance to strike back. He squirmed like a feral cat in their grip, startling them until his body fell to the ground with a resounding thump. It hurt like hell. His thick fingers dug into the dewy grass, trying to lift him up.

"You must be Shogo Kawada!" The disembodied voice belonged to a female, though a bit husky. A sharp, dull pain from the heel of her stiletto stopped him in his recovery. He didn't bother looking up at her. "You know, your father was also a bit of a pain in the ass when we got a hold of him, too..."

The way she made it sound...no, it couldn't be. The powerful, stubborn man who was Shogo's father, the physician, fisherman, chef, father...the man he looked up to the most in his life...he was dead. He had to be dead. _There's no way._ Any man who loved his son like Mr. Kawada did was expected to protest. The sting of tears pricked the corners of the boy's eyes, his teeth clenched tightly. So that was the game they wanted to play. "You bi-" The cock of a gun stopped him in his tracks. It sounded dangerously close to his ear, closer than he ever wanted a gun to be.

"Hold on. Don't kill him now. It wouldn't be any fun!"  
"Yeah, I got bets on this kid for winning! You're gonna owe me a shit-ton."  
Out came a short laugh from the woman, who he could only guess was their 'teacher'. She removed her foot from Shogo's back. "Give him a special anesthetic and bring him in."

Anesthetic? Shogo lifted his head, flinching as a fist flew towards his face. Lights out. For the most part, anyway. The pain in his head and ringing in his ears dazed him. It was as if he stepped out of his body for a few moments, watching as they dragged him through the grass into the school. He didn't even feel the cool surface of a strange metal collar around his neck until he heard it clink against the leg of a desk they threw him by.

It couldn't be happening - not to his class, not to Keiko. If he didn't know any better, he would've sworn it was a dream to ease his mind. A fucked up dream that was all too real. At this point, he knew it wasn't. He knew every one of his classmates, aside from one, would face death at each other's hands.

**42 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	4. Chapter 2

Hours passed before Shogo finally woke up. He lay there in a silent daze for the most part, tempted to go right back to sleep. He leaned his back, suddenly interested in the bare white ceiling. In his head he traced imaginary pictures around the small imperfections. It almost made him forget about everything. Almost.

Other students looked amongst each other as they woke up, confused expressions on their faces. They were just riding a bus, on the way to a study trip, right? Some had to think they were there already and slept a bit too long. Unable to determine how long it was that they slept, a few checked their watches including Tsuyoshi Ueno. His eyes met with Shogo's as he turned, pointing to his watch with a confused expression. Shogo tilted his head, looking at the white clock face on his wrist. He couldn't make the difference between the hour and minute hands, his eyes still foggy from waking. When they adjusted, it read 12:45 am. Why the hell would they be woken up at such an obscure time?

He looked around for Keiko, practically crawling over to her and Miu Ogata. Both looked excited to see him and Keiko wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. She was warm, comforting. "Are you okay, Shogo? You have a mark on your forehead..." Her fingers traced along his hairline and stopped at his temple. It burned when she touched it.

"What?" Shogo followed her eyes as if he could see himself through them. Then he remembered. A panicked look appeared on his face.

Connsciously, his hand moved up to the collar around his neck and tugged, a curse slipped past his lips when he couldn't remove it. Everyone caught on, curiously examining the silver rings with an odd, small dark red box embossed in the front. Several others followed this action when they finally noticed their own collara. Their voices broke the silence in the room.

"What the fuck is this?"

"Is everyone okay?"

"Are we at the place already?"

Shogo looked towards where he assumed the windows would be, only to see them haphazardly boarded up. No light seeped through any cracks, that or they were completely sealed. The classroom looked different from the one they were used to. Instead of the desks set in neat rows, they had been placed near the back of the classroom. Yasuhiro Tanaka (Male Student#12), a delinquent with what was decidedly bad hair and an ugly mug to match, sat next to his partner in crime Tatsuya Fuyukichi (Male Student #16) who looked as much as a high school student as Shogo did. Near them, Tomio Sugihara, the good boy of the bad group stood with his hands in his pockets. From his appearance alone, he looked normal, handsome even with the looks of one of the idols the girls obsessed over. Behind his calm face was the brain of a kind hearted boy - who just so happened to like skipping class to smoke and shoplifting. Or that was the rumor. Though Shogo saw him on the school roof several times on his own, pack of cigarettes in his hand, an unlit one in his mouth. At first, he thought he was a poser, a goody two shoes that wanted to be bad. It turned out his home life just wasn't the best and he was trying to rebel.

Maybe that was why he was so calm standing there, leaning down to make his friends were alright.

The loud sound of many footsteps echoed through what Shogo assumed to be a hall on the other side of the door. It slid open, a soldier standing first and stepping aside to let a woman in a pantsuit inside. It had to be the woman who stepped on him earlier. Of fucking course. Who else would it be? She stepped into the classroom, heels clicking against the wood floors. Her walk was more like a saunter, the jacket wrapped around her shoulders slightly flowing behind her. She looked a bit like an old movie star with her neatly styled wavy hair and blood-red lips. In a way, she resembled the look of an actress ready to attend a showing of her new movie. Her piercing eyes scanned the room, appearing enlargened by the amount of eye makeup she wore. Who the hell was she trying to impress?

"Is everyone awake and settled?" Her voice reminded Shogo of a teacher he once had. Miss...something. Or was it missus. The whole class gave her a blank stare, confused. Their class teacher, Mr. Muzushima, should be there telling them what was going on, not this woman. Maybe that's what they were thinking. "Good, you all look well rested after that nice nap."

She spun around and wrote her name on the blackboard in yellow colored chalk. Rena Tachibana. "You all may call me Ms. Tachibana. I am going to be your instructor from now on. Isn't everyone excited?" She clasped her hands together, seeming to expect a cheer from the crowd of blank faces.

In Shogo's peripheral vision, he caught someone raising their hand. Again, he caught gazes with Tomio. "Where's our teacher? And where exactly are we?"

"You must be...Tomio Sugihara. What a handsome kid. Yes, well, if you would let me explain..." Tachibana turned around again and wrote 'Battle Royale' on the board underneath her name., underlining it several times. "Your class has been chosen. You should all be very enthused to know that," she ran her tongue over her lips. "...You will all be killing each other. Now, be quiet while I explain the rules of the game to you. Sit tight!"

It took moments before the shock registered. Several of the girls gasped and Keiko bowed her head, her eyes focused on the wood floor. Shogo regretted not reaching over and grabbing her hand to comfort her. Instead, Miu had that covered, enclosing her friend in a comforting embrace while she whispered, "Shogo will protect us. It's okay."

_But,_ he thought, _who the hell will protect the rest of them? Even if I manage to somehow keep some of us alive, they'd just end up making us kill each other. That or they'll kill us themselves until we make a move. Or if we could find a way to escape... The bus could still be outside, so I could book it the fuck out of here. Even so, the government will be on our asses... Fucking hell._

_We're fucked._

**42 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	5. Chapter 3

Ms. Tachibana placed her fists on her hips, a confident smile tugging at the corners of her red lips. She looked all too happy about telling a class of ninth graders that they were chosen to die. No, worse. They were chosen to kill each other, someone they were friends with, grew up with. Some, Shogo knew, might take the bait and he was fully ready to defend himself even if it meant having to kill a classmate he talked to the other day. It was too fucking surreal. There wasn't enough time for him to wrap his head around it: Kill or be killed.

Tsuyoshi Ueno crawled towards Shogo rather swiftly, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Even when kneeling he was tall, his styled blond hair that pointed up adding a few extra centimeters. When he smiled, a deep dimple appeared on his left cheek, though now it was nowhere to be seen. Through their wordless interaction, it seemed they decided to team up. A team of four (or five if Manabu was up to it) had its advantages. They could look out for each other, take on what they were able to escape. If they died in the process or rebeling, maybe it would give their deaths purpose. He pressed his lips together in thought. _I can't expect Keiko to be a martyr if she doesn't agree, but I don't want her to die like a dog on this island._

"Uh, Excuse...Excuse m-me, ma'am?" A few meters in front of Shogo, a boy with a nearly bald head raised his hand. It was Hitoshi Nakata (Male Student #13). With his other hand, he scratched the large scar on his left cheek, a nervous tick he developed that made the scar look worse, deeper than it actually was. Apparently he got it from his abusive aunt, but that was just the rumor. "I wanna go home..." The last sentence he mumbled, his chin tycked against his chest.

"Please speak up, Mr. Nakata. Make extra sure to enunciate your words nice and loud for me, okay?" The teacher grinned a grin that only the devil could rival.

Hitoshi stared at her with his large features, mouth opening and closing as if he didn't quite know how to say what he wanted. From what Shogo could tell, the boy had a hard time speaking, as if terrified to do so. He also had the habit of constantly apologizing, always asking if he was at fault for someone's bad day. The bullies of the class took full advantage of it. However, his tendency towards explosive anger made the bulkies even more unrelenting. Perhaps they found it funny.

Hitoshi scrunched his face into a worried expression like he did at his tormentors, struggling to find his words. "I... Please can, can we go home? I don't, I don't want t-to be here! I'm scared. I'm scared..." The harder Shogo listened, the louder he heard the fearful boy's frantic breath and clattering teeth. His voice grew, tears spilling into his gaping, shivering mouth. The more he spoke, the higher he rose, fists curled up at his sides like a child throwing a tantrum. "I wanna go home!"

Ms. Tachibana pursed her lips, stifling what could have been a loud laugh which she eventually shared with the soldiers standing behind her. "You want to go home? Back to your auntie and uncle? You know they were relieved to have you chosen. Which reminds me, all of your parents and otherwise have been notified that you're participating. So don't worry about that." She continued speaking as if Hitoshi never said a word. It boiled his blood. Shogo swore he saw the steam rising from his ears like a whistling tea kettle.

He wore an expression of complete despair. With wide eyes, he trembled violently., silently. "Fuck you..."

"I can't hear you, kid. Why don't you just sit back down."

"I said fuck you, you bitch!" He finally yelled, earning a laugh from someone in the back of the classroom, presumably Nana Fukui.

One threatening step towards the teacher was enough for a soldier to pull the trigger of his large revolver. Two loud pops rang through the air to stop its target in his tracks. Shogo never heard a gun go off before. Well, maybe in movies, but the real thing was deafening, louder than he thought. It was nearly as deafening as the strange gurgling sound Hitoshi made as his body hit the floor. He landed in front of the woman he cursed moments before. She clicked her tongue, tapping her foot against the ground before she had the nerve to roll the lifeless form over to theother students with her shoe. Several of the girls shrieked. The girl that sat about half a meter away from Hitoshi, Emi Hidaka (Female Student#15), looked frozen, her calloused hands suspended in air across from her blood speckled face.

"He got blood on my heels. I just bought these." Tachibana tapped her foot on the ground in answer, the only noise in the room. Shogo's ears were ringing.

The entire class sat in silence. Not even Hitoshi's bullies spoke a word now as they laid eyes on his mutilated corpse. Somewhere in the room, someone vomited. Yuji Umemoto (Male Student #3) frantically grabbed either side of his head, mortified by the sight of his only friend laying in a pool of his own blood and brain matter. As Hitoshi's body rolled to face them, it still twitched. The bullets completely devastated the upper left side of his face. There was no evidence of an eye ever being there, just a gaping hole. Whatever was left inside his head spilled out over the hardwood floors. It almost resembled mashed, cherry gelatin. The blood seeped into the wood grain like some dark red stain. Shogo had seen a dead person before. He helped in his father's clinic, after all, so deaths were bound to happen, but this...this was... grotesque. One foggy eye looked at him, wide, dead, scared. He swore that he was still alive, still feeling the pain and the eyesof all his peers on him. His mouth gaped open in a soft 'O' shape, as if he wanted to cry out, "Help me. Help me, Kawada."

"Oh, my god..." Someone whispered.

Shogo found himself speechless, a knot forming in his stomach. At this point, he couldn't tell the difference between his anger and fear.

"Are all questions answered? Good! Now I hope that you all will take a moment to think before you act in here. Behave or you might end up like your friend Hitoshi! Let's move on to the rules." Her voice almost took on a sing-song tone. She brushed her hands off and drew a lumpy mass off to the side of the chalkboard with a lopsided grid going through it. In random squares, she scratched small X's. "This is the island we are on right now. Five kilometers in diameter, the school is about in the middle. That's where we are." She drew a cirlcle around a poorly drawn house.

"You already know the goal of the game is clearly to kill each other. However, only one of you will be named the winner." Ms. Tachibana tilted her head in thought. "Oh, yes! The collars," she pointed to her neck. "If you are in one of these spots with an X, a forbidden zone, which I will announce once a day...your collar will detonate and blow your little heads off. Also, don't try to remove or destroy them. That will also make them explode, but it would be one hell of a death, huh?"

The disgust of such a game, the smell of Hitoshi Nakata's blood filling the room, knowing he could die in the next few days - it made Shogo sick to his stomach. Not to mention the way the 'teacher' spoke in such a cheerful tone, as if she was excited to watch them all kill each other. And she probably was. Briefly, their eyes met, Shogo returning his gaze with a fire that couldn't be extinguished. Ms. Tachibana chuckled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

"You will all be released by name in order of alternating genders. Girl, boy, girl, etc. I want to make this clear: if you are not at least within one half kilometer of the school, your collar will explode. It becomes a danger zone soon after the last name is called. So think up your meeting spots carefully and go out as far as you can. I would recommend running. You will grab the bag you packed and a soldier will hand you another bag with bread, water, and your randomly selected weapon. Think of it as a lottery!"

Shogo looked at the chalkboard, then down to his classmate's corpse. Ms. Tachibana grabbed a piece of paper from the teacher's desk, running her finger blindly along the surface until she stopped. "Looks like our lucky first contestant out of the gate is... Girl number 17, Saya Fujioka. Congratulations! Now, I want you to repeat after me before you leave... If I don't kill, I will be killed. Three times now."

The collection of tired, fearful eyes focused in on the three fingers held up in the air, others, like Shogo, on Hitoshi. Like a spell, the class chanted in unison, "If I don't kill, I will be killed. If I don't kill I will be killed." A few voices grew louder. "If I don't kill, I will be killed."

_Fuck this game._

**41 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	6. Chapter 4

Clutching tightly onto her low-hanging pigtails, Saya Fujioka whimpered. Her eyes traveled to the form of her sister beside her, their bodies so close it looked like they were conjoined at the hip. They made eye contact for more than a few seconds. Being twins, Shogo had to assume their bond was stronger than any regular siblings. Some students swore that they probably communicated telepathically, especially Akihiko Chinjimatsu (Male Student #11) who was on the obsessive side. The guy was dead set on convincing everyone that the two girls weren't 'one of them'. The whole thing sounded like a load of bullshit to Shogo. Though he had to admit that the two were remarkably close. He couldn't begin to imagine the terror Saya was going through, especially being the more anxious of the two. Not once the entire school year did she speak, not even to her sister.

One of the soldiers repeated Saya's name loudly. She jumped in place, releasing a squeak akin to that of a startled mouse. She finally stood, both arms crossed over her chest. She protected her school bag as if it were the last thing she had left - and it was. She shuffled to the front of the room, her feet coming dangerously close to the pool of blood. A soldier who looked barely older than all of them stepped forward, roughly handing a large canvas bag to the frightened girl.

"Hurry up, now!" The teacher clapped her hands together in haste.

Saya gave a wide-eyed glance to the other students before scurrying out into the hallway. The next student stood before his name was called. Not much was known about Aoi Murakami (Male Student #17). All Shogo knew was that was the newest student to their class. The girls found him mysterious and interesting, though he wasn't exactly inexplicably attractive. He got overzealous in walking out of the room and ended up slipping on Hitoshi Nakata's blood. He didn't bother saying anything, and just released a throaty groan of disgust.

More and more students left, including Manabu and Tsuyoshi who both stole him a glance before departing. It felt like an eternity until his name was finally called. He began to stand. "No, no. He can go last. He gave us trouble, so I'm sure that he'll understand that." The teacher placed a finger to her chin. "Personally, I think it will be an interesting twist with this one. And he can watch his pretty girlfriend leave before him! Oh, the anguish, right? It'll be like watching a TV drama unfold."

Shogo sank back into a sitting position, his free hand clenched tightly into a fist in his lap. Of course they could do something like this. It was the game they were playing, and an unfair one at that._ Who am I kidding? We're just pieces in some fucked up game. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. Go directly to jail._ He lifted his head as Keiko left, their hands slipping away from each other. In the last moment, she jerked away, startled by a gunshot outside. It already started.

"I'll wait for you, don't worry." She whispered, placing a kiss to the top of his head. The skin she touched burned, stung uncontrollably. It was agonizing. He didn't want to see her go first, see her go on without knowing where to wait and what to do. However, he knew full well how independent Keiko was, how strong she stood against the most difficult of obstacles. Even if he was a road bump in her path. Sometimes he wondered what in the hell a girl like her was doing with a guy like him. He thought was a no-good guy with the brains of a box of crayons. It didn't matter, she would always tell him, as long as she loved him it didn't matter. It wouldn't matter how strong she was, he would protect her even if it meant dying in the process. He would even let her win if it came down to the two of them.

Keiko's long black hair trailed behind her, her worried expression on display. Shogo moved his gaze over to Miu Ogata, whose name would be called soon enough. In their brief eye contact, they seemed to agree on protecting Keiko. The two always thought alike in any other situation. Though he trusted her as much as anyone could.

It was a bit painful watching his classmates leave one by one. He watched them all march to their deaths. It triggered a strange pain in his chest that he never felt before. The stone-faced teenager finally showed cracks. Finally he looked as if he cared...for a second. Moments passed before his mind wandered over to the worst part of the situation - if that was plausible. People were going to turn on each other, there was no doubt in his mind about that, but he still wanted to believe in the good in people. "And finally, Shogo Kawada." Caught off guard, Shogo rose to his feet, his posture rather threatening. He told himself to calm down or he would turn out like that poor son of a bitch on the floor.

Ms. Tachibana grabbed the last canvas bag on the rack and held it out to him. "Good luck, Kawada. Win for me."

_I'm gonna puke._ Shogo rolled his eyes, roughly pulling the bag from her hands. He looked down at the material, feeling around inside. Water, bread, and a weapon, huh? He took one step back, turned on heel, and headed out of the classroom. In his mobile search, he found a map and a red pen. The map was held neatly in a soft plastic sheet, the design almost cartoonist with its colorful symbols.

As he approached the exit, his eyes fell on the open door. A pair of feet stuck partially inside like a door jam. They twitched slightly as if the owner was trying to stand back up. When Shogo peered his head out from behind the door, he caught glimpse of wild-haired Daichi Ono (Male Student #5) hunched over the body of Jun Otani whose long brown hair was now matted in the crimson beneath him. Daichi was a boy from a rural area and he definitely seemed decent. Shogo had no choice but to assume that he might have killed Jun himself. Maybe it had been a mistake. The way he was helplessly trying to resuscitate his friend who was most likely dead already made Shogo think it might be the case. Or it was a trick.

"Come on, Jun. Come on!"

Shogo took a step forward to crouch, startling Daichi who immediately shielded his face with his blood-covered hands. "Kawada... Kawada, Jun isn't... He isn't moving. I tried to stop th-the blood but it won't stop! I think someone shot him in the stomach. Please help me! He'll die!" The boy clutched Shogo's open jacket, eyes filled with desperation. Unsure of what to do, Shogo reached into his bag in search for a spare shirt so he might try to stop the bleeding.

Daichi yelped loudly and from the bushes, a flash. The bullet hit somewhere behind them, probably against the school. Crappy aim. Someone was there the whole time, watching them. It had to be the one who already started shooting when Keiko left.

A daring idea sparked in his brain, one that surely wouldn't go without a hitch, but it was worth a shot. Perhaps if the enemy thought that he also had a gun, he would run from them. Or, in the worst case, he would shoot at them, feking threatened. Shogo tried his best not to freeze when his fingers caressed a cold metal. He got lucky. The further he searched, the more his fingertips felt two small rings of the same material. It was a pair of scissors. As intimidating as they looked used as a weapon, they wouldn't serve much use in the situation. Unlucky.

He pulled his hand out of the bag, the scissors coming with him. Even so, he might be able to defend himself. "Come out! I have a gun, too, and I won't hesitate to fill your ass with lead!"

Another shot.

It wasn't any use. The mediocre ploy couldn't shield them against the bullets that had their sights on warm flesh. Five shots rang through the air. Instinctively, Shogo flinched. One bullet barely scratched his arm and tore through his uniform. Unfortunately the others found their way into Daichi's torso. Specks of blood sprayed onto Shogo's uniform, some on his face. Daichi's body slumped forward, laying atop the corpse of Jun Otani. It happened too fast. Did this person shoot at everyone who left the building? He scanned for more corpses, hesitantly using the huddled bodies as makeshift cover. He couldn't make out any others lying around.

A voice in the bushes cursed loudly, a clicking sound following. Now was his chance. Shogo gripped his weapon and ran forward. He reached a hand into the bush, fingers brushing the fabric of a uniform jacket. His target caught on, sprinting away from him like a frightned animal. It was too dark to make out who it was, but the figure definitely resembled the heavy set Yuji Umemoto (Male Student #3). Shogo turned to the school once more. The two just outside the doors had always been referred to as the class clowns, always laughing, making others smile. Now they were both dead. Daichi's dark brown eyes gazed past him at the dark blue sky. Shogo's thick fingers reached down to touch the boy's eyelids and pull them closed. It was the least that he could do.

He reached down and rummaged through the abandoned bags, grabbing the water and food he could as well as many things he managed to find in a short span. The amount of actually useful items was virtually none. He wasn't even going to bother looking at the small stash of dirty magazines one of them had. At least it reminded Shogo that they were still human.

**39 STUDENTS REMAINING**


	7. Chapter 5

In the spring of the previous year, the reality of the program finally reached its destination. Shogo had been over at Keiko's house for the first time. Her father had his qualms about it, but eventually the arrangement was settled. Saturday afternoon at Keiko's house felt like the first conscious memory that he held onto. He, of course, remembered since they studied every Saturday from then on. Shogo wasn't exactly a model student. Below average grades aside from science and gym class, low attendance record, stirring up the occasional fit with his endless supply of sarcasm, and the list went on. He always wondered just how a smart, good-natured, stunning girl like Keiko ended up choosing him as a boyfriend. He wasn't horrible looking, but not considered as attractive as Tsuyoshi Ueno or Tomio Sugihara. He thought he looked rugged, without the good looks tacked on at the end. Though that didn't matter too much to him and it didn't seem to matter to Keiko either. _But, shit, I must have something._

While they sat at the dining room table, books and papers strewn across it, Keiko's father watched the news in the other room. The volume was turned up loud enough to hear where they sat, but not enough to make out every word. Shogo looked over into the living room, his eyes catching the last seconds of a dictator support and praise advertisement. They made him want to vomit. Right on the man himself. The news came back on, one of the anchors looking directly into the camera with his beady, dead eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses. The starched gray suit he wore made him look robotic. Technically he was a robot (to Shogo at least).

"...To conclude the news at twelve, class 3-A of Maebashi Junior High School, Gunma Prefecture, has been chosen for this year's Battle Royale program."

Mr. Onuki made a grunting noise, his head shaking. It was known that he was highly against the act, something he had in common with Shogo's father. The man always claimed he would lose his mind if Keiko were chosen in the following year. Unfortunately for him, the nightmare would come true.

"Shogo, pay attention!" A sharp poke from her pencil brought Shogo from his cloud. "We have to go over math or you're never going to get it. Now this equation..." She paused, again, sighting at him as she worked the problem out in her notebook. For a few moments, she was silent, side-eyeing him from her seat. When she finally opened her lips she asked, "Have you ever thought about that program?"

Shogo lifted his head from the math book in front of him. "Yeah. What about you?"

"What?" Her brows furrowed. "Oh... No, I can't say I have."

"You're a bad liar." A laugh escaped him and he leaned back in his chair. He crossed his arms over his chest, resting his hands on each bicep. "Generally, my view is that I can't think about what will happen tomorrow or today will be difficult."

"That's a good view to an extent. The only problem I have is that you need to stop thinking about something that may not ever happen to us and think about how you want your grades by the summer break." She lifted her pencil and pointed it like a finger scolding him.

"That's not the point. What I'm saying is, the program is the only damn thing that's been on my mind lately. My dad doesn't stop talking about it and how fucked the government is. How can I not think about being chosen so much. I'm not afraid of dying, but..." He rested his elbows on the rable. "It's still a real nasty thought."

She said his name in a tone he recognized. He went too far. Her eyes looked sad as they made contact. "Please stop talking about it. Let's just finish the problem and we can relax for a while, okay?" Seeing Keiko's discomfort, Shogo kept his mouth shut for the most part.

"You..." He trailed off as Keiko stood up, her lips in a frown. "What? I didn't say anything."

She left the room briefly, coming back with something folded inside her finger. She gently handed him a small, wooden object. It felt nice in his hand, the engraving on the side passing beneath his calloused fingertips. What appeared to be a small, long whistle lay in his palm. He brought it to his lips and gave a soft blow. It produced a rather high sounding whistle, almost sounding like a chirp from a bird.

"What the hell is it? A bird call?" He brushed his thumb over the smooth wood before turning it in his large hands.

Keiko cupped her hands together and brought them to her mouth. She made a sound akin to what she just gave him. "It's a bird call," Her hands lowered and she put them both over his. "My dad made this for me, but I want you to have it."

"What for? I'm not going to use this thing."

"It's a gift, Shogo. You're supposed to say 'thank you'..." Her nostrils flared with the sigh that passed through them. "You're not very good at the whole being considerate of others thing."

It turned into a situation that Shogo didn't want to face. He knew that he wasn't the nicest guy. His looks alone were enough to intimidate most people into staying the hell away from him. He remembered thinking that she couldn't expect him to just know. How was he supposed to know?

"If we ever can't find each other when we're meeting up for...a date, just use this and I'll call back."

"Yeah." His focus was on the bird call now, his fingers opening and closing over it. It wasn't the first gift that Keiko gave him without notice. That was the thing he liked about her. She gave and didn't ask for much in return. Even in their first weeks of dating, Keiko always knew the right thing to do. He knew he couldn't be that easy to read, but she knew him. She knew him better than he knew himself and it wouldn't be taken away from him so easily.

In the present, he curled his fingers around the bird call again. He would find Keiko. He would find Manabu and Tsuyoshi. They would get off the island if it was the last thing they did.


	8. Chapter 6

The moon started retreating towards the horizon. Its light poured through the cover of the small orchard to the southeast of the school. It would look otherwise beautiful against the changing colossal in the sky. Adjacent to it sat a large farmhouse, the white paint on its panels peeled away to reveal the grey beneath. Chinatsu Nakanishi (Female Student #13) didn't have time to admire the rare beauty. She saw someone at the end of the trees, standing there. Or so she thought. If she killed someone, she could go home, right? she didn't pay attention to the rules, too distracted by fleeting thoughts of her own death. She though, if she killed at least one, maybe she could go home. Home.

She procured the the weapon she got from her bag. Perfect. It was a golden colored aluminum with the word 'Slugger' on either side. Chinatsu only found it appropriate that she received a bat for her weapon. She was the star of the softball team, first baseman, top hitter. Last year, she set a record for the most runs in Kobe Junior High girl's softball history. However, she didn't find much pride in it, not with the terrible losing streak the rest of the team went through the past season.

She flicked her long black hair behind her shoulders to tie into a ponytail. She stopped, her hair tie in mid-stretch.

_Click. Click. Click._ The noises came in succession. Though the familiarity of this sound was new, Chinatsu recognized it right away. A gun. It sounded like the gun in the classroom. She whipped her head around to face the metal barrel of a revolver. Out of focus stood Aiko Kawano (Female Student #9). She trembled violently, her tan face streaked with fresh tears that ran to her neck. Her teeth bit anxiously at the loose, dried skin of her lips.

"Kawano... What are you doing?" Chinatsu raised the baseball bat in her hand lazily. She knew it was far from right thinking the girl's head was the softball she would aim for.

Aiko's breath was labored, heavy. She had asthma that usually appeared during her anxiety attacks. Though she was one of the smartest kids in class, she wasn't very social due to her crippling social anxiety. She spaced out often, always clutching her hands to her chest with her pink inhaler tucked inside them. In fact, she had the inhaler gripped tightly in her other hand. "We're...going to die, Nakanishi. We're all going to die one way or another!" Her voice was strained, breathy and frantic.

"What the hell are you saying? Just put the fuckin' gun down and we can talk about it." Chinatsu's eyes narrowed, her thick brows furrowed. She secured her grip on the bat, prepared.

Aiko clenched her eyes shut without much thought. Her hand gripped onto her head, fingers trying to roughly massage the pain out. She dropped her inhaler in the process. "I...can...kill you right now. B-Boom and...you're dead." A gun against a baseball bat was no contrst. Or so she assumed. She felt secure enough to let her guard down for a second.

The softball player's voice raised significantly. "Go on and shoot me! You don't have the guts to do it...!"

"I... Shut up! You don't know anything about me!" She released a stunted sob, raising the gun again, this time aimed at Chinatsu's head. This time, Chinatsu got into a stance. One would think she prepared herself to hit a fastball.

"Just try me."

A flash of gold and Aiko was curled on the ground in pain. She heard the bones in her wrist crunch like a dead leaf. It would be hard to forget that noise. The gun went off, her fingers retracting from the pain. Aiko cried out in agony. She never experienced broken bones and it hurt more than she ever imagined. "B...Bitch! You...bitch!"

"You're the one who raised a damn gun on me!" Chinatsu's head felt lighter than usual. She assumed it was from the loud gunshot. She put a hand to the side of her head to cup her ear. It felt warm, wet, and her hair was shorter at the spot. The bullet tore through the long locks. Her dark brown eyes filled with rage as she lifted the bat again. But Aiko was prepared this time.

As Chinatsu swung into Aiko's ribs, two more bullets tore through the air. It was hot sensation that pushed into her neck. A strange expression appeared on her face and she suddenly, wordlessly, slumped over atop the other girl. Though she felt a sense of relief that it was over, a pressure pushed down on Aiko's torso, as if an elephant just sat on her. She groaned with each short, painful breath, an odd gurgling noise leaving her as the blood began to fill her lungs. Slowly, she was drowining in guilt, she thought. She couldn't believe she took someone's life. Chinatsu, the girl that she saw almost every day in class, lay dead atop her by her hands.

_'I'm really sorry. I was just scared, okay? Is it alright if I apologize to you in heaven, Nakanishi-san?'_ She let her own body go limp, tear filled eyes focused on the moon above her. It glittered through the leaves of the trees. So beautiful, the last thing she would see before slipping away. The red liquid boiled in her open mouth, the last bubble of oxygen popping as it left her lungs.

Behind the thick trunk of a tree, Keiko Onuki finished watching the confrontation. Shocked, her hands covered her mouth as she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. She always felt close with most of her classmates. In fact, she remembered helping Chinatsu carry in her athletic gear the day before. They laughed together about something she struggled to recall. Now she wish she did remember. A week before, she helped Aiko Kawano to the nurse's office after gym class. What Keiko wouldn't do to have those experiences available to her again.

Pursing her lips, she stood slowly, immediately running over to the corpses of the girls. With hesitance, she placed two fingers on Aiko's throat first, checking for a pulse. That's at least what she saw them do on the television shows she watched. No pulse could be found, though the girls body still felt warm. Next, she placed her fingers to the other girl's neck. With a loud yelp, she retracted her hand. Her fingers directly touched the gooey blood that coated Chinatsu's flesh. She felt like she would throw up any moment. Fortunately, she didn't. They were both dead.

Kill or be killed. Keiko reached forward for the gun that Aiko's hand loosely gripped. She wanted to throw it away somewhere, but...what if it went into the wrong hands?

"Keiko!" Her head whipped around at the voice. Towards her ran Miu Ogata, her uniform socks caked with mud and leaves. "I finally found...you..." Keiko's face scrunched up as she released a quiet sob. Miu ran her fingers through her friend's hair to keep it out of her face. "What happened?! Are you okay? Look at me. It's me, Miu. It's okay now." Miu dropped to her knees in front of her friend to pull her into a tight embrace. Keiko's small hands gripped onto the back of her shirt. If her best friend had in fact killed two of their classmates, maybe she could forgive her. It seemed like self-defense and she was scared so she had no choice but to show comfort.

"I saw them... They killed each other. I didn't even try to stop it and..." Her mouth stayed open, trying to form more words, but she couldn't.

"Oh my god." Miu turned her head, relieved that Keiko wasn't involved. She didn't want to look at it. Death scared her, dead bodies scared her. She urged her friend to stand with her, eyes stilled averted. "Um... You're not going to like this, but we should get their supplies..."

"What?! That's crazy. We're stealing from the dead and...!"

"I'm sorry." She furrowed her brows. "Do you want to move them then...?" The thought alone of touching a dead body, a person that was murdered, it made Miu incredibly uneasy. Someone just had their life taken away and they would be touching them. "Or at least close their eyes." Aiko's eyes gazed up at the sky lifelessly. They reminded her of the glazed over eyes of a porcelain doll. "What about their weapons? Did you get a good one?"

"Don't say it like that...but I got a screwdriver." Keiko sniffed.

"I got this stupid looking thing." She pulled a figurine from her uniform pocket, laughing at the thing. It was a small likeness of a penguin, intricately painted and covered in some sort of smooth glaze. She turned it over in her well-manicured fingers. Though now they were rather muddy. "How can I defend you with this? It looks like one of those stupid horses my mom collects. Really dumb, huh?"

Quietly, Keiko took the penguin from Miu's hands and replaced it with the gun that Aiko had. She no longer wanted to hold it. "You can use this, but please don't shoot it unless you really have to. I don't want you to have to protect me."

"Hey... You're acting like we're not about to die any second... If I have to use it, I'm using it. Got it?"

"No, that's what you're doing! You're talking like Kawano and Nakanishi didn't just kill each other... And that we're not in this mess."

"Didn't you hear that woman? Either we all die, or most of us are going to." She cupped Keiko's face in her hands. "Do you even hear yourself? We'll find our friends and maybe we can get off of this island together. Now give me the old Keiko back before I never get to see her again."

"We can't save everyone."

**38 STUDENTS REMAINING**


End file.
